1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magazine for espresso coffee capsules that has at least one essentially cylindrical magazine tube, which can be set up vertically.
2. Prior Art
To simplify the process of filling the brewing chamber of espresso machines with ground coffee, increasing use is being made of the known espresso coffee capsules which are filled with premeasured portions of ground coffee. The espresso coffee capsules are industrially made and are filled, immediately after the ground coffee undergoes the grinding process, with a measured amount of it and hermetically sealed. The known espresso coffee capsules are usually deep-drawn out of a plastic film and have essentially the shape of a frustum of a right circular cone, with the base of the frustum of the cone forming the bottom of the espresso coffee capsules. The bottom of the espresso coffee capsule can have an edge projecting from the side that serves as a bottom for fastening a metal foil.
The espresso coffee capsules can have various varieties of coffee therein, in order to store it and keep its aroma fresh in a simple manner. At present, about ten different varieties of coffee are commercially available in espresso coffee capsules. It has turned out to be expedient to store the espresso coffee capsules with the various varieties of coffee in order in a magazine. An essential component of such a magazine is an essentially cylindrical, normally vertically arranged magazine tube which, according to the state of the art, is completely open on top and can have a removal opening at the bottom. The magazine tube can have several espresso coffee capsules in it stacked one above the other. A number of magazine tubes, for example six, can be combined, according to the state of the art, into a rotating magazine. However, it is also conceivable for a series of magazine tubes to be linearly arranged next to one another.
In any case, care should be taken when filling the magazine tubes that the espresso coffee capsules are only placed into the magazine tube in a desired intended orientation, so that it is also easier to manipulate them when they are removed and after that. In particular, it should not happen that some of the espresso coffee capsules placed into a magazine tube are standing on their tops, i.e. upside down.
Next, an espresso coffee capsule taken from the removal opening of a magazine tube can be inserted into an espresso machine""s brewing chamber that is designed to hold this capsule. When the brewing chamber is closed, the top of the espresso coffee capsule is punctured by a water delivery element. The bottom of the espresso coffee capsule is designed to tear once a predetermined brewing water pressure of about six bars, for example, is reached or exceeded, so that the brewing process can take place.
This object of the present invention is to provide a magazine for espresso coffee capsules in which the espresso coffee capsules can be put therein without requiring great attention so that the capsules are stacked in their intended orientation and can easily be removed from it and used.
The above object is accomplished by a magazine provided with an insertion guide that has a side insertion opening that allows for the espresso coffee capsule to be inserted into the magazine tube correctly and not, for example, in such a way that it is positioned upside down in the magazine tube. This also makes it convenient to insert the capsule into the magazine tube when the espresso coffee capsule is guided into the hood. Thus, the magazine tube can be filled without great attention.
To make the orientation of the espresso coffee capsule in the insertion guide especially exact, the insertion guide is designed as a hood which is shaped, where it abuts the side insertion opening on the inside, essentially the same as half a capsule, as defined by a vertical section through the middle of the capsule. This hood is also esthetically pleasing.
In order for the insertion guide, which is designed as a hood, to fit together with the espresso coffee capsules, which have an edge projecting from the sides on the bottom, the insertion guide has a groove inside thereof so that the groove runs in the peripheral direction and opens toward the insertion opening and downward, thus holding the edge of the espresso coffee capsules. Overall, the diameter of the espresso coffee capsules is biggest at the edge and tapers upward in the direction of the height of the espresso coffee capsules. Therefore, though the espresso coffee capsule has the projecting edge, the espresso coffee capsule inserted in the insertion guide can fall unhindered but automatically guided vertically downward into the magazine tube, and then they are removed from the lower removal opening of the magazine tube.
Furthermore, a magazine having an insertion guide is provided with a plurality of, for instance five or six, magazine tubes in a row, so that each of them can be loaded with capsules correctly and in order, with each magazine tube storing only capsules with a particular kind of coffee.
A rotating magazine has a plurality of, for instance five to six, magazine tubes arranged in a circle. The rotating magazine has advantages that each selected magazine tube that contains the respective espresso coffee capsules of a certain variety of coffee can be rotated to a predetermined removal place. It is advantageous for each of these magazine tubes that are installed in the rotating magazine to have an insertion guide, which is thus safely assigned to exactly one magazine tube. Instead, it is also conceivable to have only a single insertion guide that is solidly arranged on a magazine and used for all magazine tubes, which can be rotated under a hood one after the other to be filled, which allows savings by reducing the number of insertion guides.
Further, in the present invention, the magazine, which has at least one magazine tube with an insertion guide, can be designed as an independent unit that can be set up vertically independently of an espresso machine but can also be compactly integrated into an espresso machine.